The Book Report - celebrating the great reads from old favorites to the best hot new writers. I mostly read fantasy, but let's face it--I love to read every genre and I only review what I love!

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Time Weaver, Thomas A Knight

Hello, I am back after an impromptu 2 week hiatus! The
weather here in my area of the world has been awful, and I was without power
and Internet for a long while so I had a mini vacation from blogging. But I was
able to get in a lot of reading, and I have come across some Kindle gems.

On the morning of Seth Alkirk’s 30thbirthday, a
book that his father left him and which was locked for 25 years mysteriously
opens for him. He discovers that it is written in a language that he can’t
understand and takes it to work in his lap-top bag for his friend and business
partner Dave to have a look at.

At lunch that day there is a moment when a glass appears to
fall to the floor in slow motion, before it breaks. That evening he is involved
in an automobile accident in which time completely stops, allowing him to walk
away from an accident that should have killed him. As he tries to absorb that,
a rift opens and a beast emerges. Running through the silent, immobile city and
trying to escape the beast, Seth is placed under a compulsion to face the beast
down. Without knowing why he does so, he unleashes a powerful magic attack on
the beast. Deterred momentarily but not stopped, the beast seizes him.

At this point I was hooked. The plot had me, and I put aside
everything and did nothing but read until I had read the whole book.

It turns out that Seth is the son of the most powerful
time-weaver in the history of the parallel world of Galadir. His inadvertent
opening of the book and use of his powers has alerted both friends and enemies
of his existence. Merek, the arch-magus, sends a warrior, Malia, to retrieve
him. She rescues him from the beast (which is a demon-like thing called a
Narshuk), and takes him back to Galadir through the rift that the beast had
used. They must get to Findoor Castle, and have a long trip ahead of them. On
their journey they meet a bard, Cedric and he eventually finds himself aiding
them in exchange for their aid in getting him to Findoor, and vouching for him.

Unbeknownst to arch-magus Merek, his apprentice, Grian, has
turned to evil. Upon hearing of Seth’s existence Grian steals a dangerous book.
Catching him in the act of the theft, Merek exiles him to the Badlands.
Unfortunately, that was where Grian wanted to be. The high council, of which his
father is a member, goes to the Badlands to confront him. Grian murders the
entire council including his own father in his effort to consolidate his power.
Now the forces of evil are looking for Seth in the world of Galadir.

Even worse, in the world that Seth left behind General
Mathers is looking for him also. The general has taken DNA left at the scene by
Seth and Malia, and has used it to create a serum that can make a super-human.
A mysterious man in black, Cy the Betrayer, murders the lab tech in charge of
the experiments and uses the serum on himself. Now that he has used the serum
he can return to Galadir, and he does so. It turns out that he is a vessel for
the soul of Gladius, the leader of the forces of evil whom all had hoped was
dead. This is where the action really begins happening.

This tale has some exciting twists and turns and just when
you think it is going one way it goes in another. The characters are well
drawn, and believable, and the worlds are vivid and colorful. Morganath, the
Dragon is a wonderful character. There is romance and action, although there is
a certain amount of rough language, and a great deal of graphic violence. For the most part these
don’t detract from the tale.

Much in the way that Tad Williams does in The War of the Flowers, Thomas A Knight manages to create a neat meshing of urban
fantasy and sword and sorcery. The ending is an exciting roller coaster of
emotions, and I really enjoyed it right to the last word.Knight has left me hanging, and waiting for
the next book!

The official launch of the print book is January 31, 2012.It will be available through amazon.com.